


Going Steady

by SaintJudith



Series: Earth 437125 [5]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Justice League International (Comics), Justice League of America (Comics)
Genre: Apologies, Big Barda - Freeform, Boxing, Carol Ferris - Freeform, Gen, Guy has memory problems, In more ways than one, Kari Limbo, Rocky Starts, Smoking, Tora Olafsdotter - Freeform, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, characters mentioned but not present are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 20:52:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13865802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaintJudith/pseuds/SaintJudith
Summary: The rest of the Leaguers find out that Guy and Tora are officially together and their reactions are less than congratulatory.Tora doesn't actually show up in this but it's about their relationship so I tagged it.





	Going Steady

“So,” came a voice from behind Guy. Guy turned to see Booster Gold drape his arms over the couch Guy was currently sitting in. “Are you two, like, exclusive now?” Booster asked, an air of mischief in his voice.

“Why?” Guy smirked, closing the Star Trek novel he was reading. There was no way he’d be able to focus on it with Booster futzing about. “You thinking about taking a second ride on the Gardner Express?”

“You wish,” scoffed Booster. He hopped over the couch, landing next to Guy. “Just trying to keep up to date on the drama. I want to be accurate when I write my memoir.”

It was Guy’s turn to scoff. “You mean when Skeets writes your memoir.”

“Tomato, potato,” Booster replied, with a wave of his hand. “Just answer the question.”

“Yeah. We are. I think. She hasn’t talked specifically about being exclusive, but we are a couple.” Guy grinned. Dating Tora felt good, felt right, felt like he was gaining something of his old life back, before Hal Jordan fucked it up.

Booster took a deep breath. “Guy, I want you to look at me.” Guy turned to see Booster making an expression so serious that Guy thought it beyond his capabilities. “Don’t you dare hurt her.” Booster’s voice matched his expression.

Guy chuckled nervously.

“I’m serious, Guy. If you hurt her, there will be hell to pay. Not just from me.”

“What makes you think I’d hurt her?” Guy replied defensively, annoyance rising in his voice.

“You’re careless, crude, impulsive, forgetful,” Booster listed on his fingers. “And you’re pretty pushy.”

“Wow. Fuck you. I thought we were friends.” Heat was rising on Guy’s face now.

“Hey, you asked. Besides I’ve seen you in action. Nothing smooth about it.”

“Whatever,” Guy said, getting up from the couch, steaming.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Booster called after him.

Guy didn’t turn around as he left the rec room. Just giving Booster a curt wave of his hand, before stomping down the hall. He would’ve ran into J’onn if they hadn’t phased. Guy stopped, surprised. He turned around, seeing the martian this time.

“You should watch where you’re going,” J’onn said in a resigned voice as they bent down to pick up their dropped oreos.

“Oh, uh, sorry, I,” Guy started to apologize. J’onn held up a hand to silence him.

“Just don’t hurt her,” they said, before turning and continuing down the hall.

Guy stood there, fists clenched, watching as J’onn turned into the rec room.

“Arrugh!!” he screamed, before continuing to storm down the hallway. He needed to punch something.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, the gym was empty. Guy pulled out of his uniform, revealing the tank top and boxer briefs he’d been wearing. He walked over to his locker and stored it before grabbing the boxing gloves and the wraps he kept there. Sure, he could make some with the ring, but it just didn’t feel the same.

Sitting down on the bench, Guy tried to focus on wrapping up his hands. Loop on thumb, wrist three, hand three, x one, x two, x three, thumb, thumb reverse, knuckles three, secure on wrist. Repeat.

He slipped the power ring on his necklace before strapping into his gloves. The words Booster said to him still rang through his head as he did some limbering up, trying to let the routine of it all wash over him.

Careless.

Guy threw a punch at the hanging bag.

Crude.

Another punch made, the sound reverberating through the room.

Impulsive.

The bag swung harder.

Forgetful.

Guy let out a grunt as his glove colided with the bag.

Pushy.

Guy started a repeating pattern of strikes.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook.

It wasn’t fair. Booster and J’onn’s comments had turned it from something fun, to just another thing waiting to get fucked up by him.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook.

Just because he was those things sometimes didn’t mean he was all the time. He had figured out how to use his ring to help with his memory problems after all. Not to mention finding some exercises to help him improve it.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook.

He had been engaged before, he wasn’t completely inept. And maybe it hadn’t worked out, but it’s not like he had meant to hurt Kari. He’d just forgotten.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook.

Carol could’ve said something when they were on Zamaron. It’s easy to forget about your life before when you wake up from a coma and go straight into an alien war zone and then an alien boot camp.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook. Jab. Cross. Hook.

Guy’s pace slowed. The guilt weighing him down. It had been a whole six months on earth before he had remembered her. By then she had decided to move on and he couldn’t blame her for it.

He sighed and leaned his head onto the bag. He’d have to do better this time.

Just then Scott and Ted walked into the gym.

“Yeah, Barda kicked me out of the home gym. Says she’s developing a new workout with one of her girls and doesn’t want the distraction. Though my monitor shift is next anyways, so might as well come here.”

“That might be pushed back,” Ted chuckled. “Booster was just complaining that J’onn just made his a double shift since he caught him having Skeets do his shift.”

“Guess I know where you’re heading after this,” Scott nudged Ted as they put down their towels and water bottles by the edge of the boxing ring.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ted replied flatly, starting to do some stretches.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Sure.” Scott did a twist and noticed Guy by the heavy bag. “Oh, hey Guy.”

Guy responded with a grunt.

“So, Guy,” Ted said as he continued stretching. “I hear you and Tora are going steady.”

Guy laughed without moving his face from the bag. “Going steady? How old are you? Fifty?”

Ted sputtered. “I— wha— no! I’m 38...”

“Hoo-wee, hope I don’t break you during our workout today old man,” Scott said, laughter in his voice.

“You’re the one who should be worried about breaking. You’re wrestling outside your weight class.”

“I, am Mister Miracle.” Scott replied with some flair. “There is nothing I can’t escape from and that includes your weak holds.”

“Whatever, Scott. All I know is Barda sure is something special for putting up with you.”

“My darling wife,” Scott said in a lovesick tone.

Guy lightly tapped the bag and sighed. Apparently that was enough to return Ted’s attention to him.

“Yeah, so, Guy,” Ted continued. “You better be good to Tora. Cause if Barda is something special for putting up with Scott, then Tora’s near angelic for putting up with you.”

Guy took a step back and started his pattern if strikes again. Jab, cross, hook.

“If you hurt her, Guy,” Scott decided to say his piece, “you’ll find yourself in a whole heap of trouble that even I wouldn’t be able to escape from.”

“Y’all are dicks,” Guy mumbled as he continued to punch the bag.

“What was that?” asked Ted.

“I,” jab, “said,” cross, “y’all,” hook, “are,” jab, “dicks!” cross. Guy finished with one more hook before stopping and turning to look at the pair. They wore a bewildered expression, before bursting into laughter. Guy fumed.

“Y’all just come in here assuming that I’m just like some lecherous old man. Well, fuck you.” Guy ripped off his gloves. “Tora’s older than I am and she’s capable of taking care of herself.” Guy started to work at the wraps. “I’m not a fucking time bomb, waiting to blow up at the person closest to me.” Guy gathered the gloves and wraps and walked towards the lockers. “I’m an adult,” Guy spat out, throwing his gear in his locker. “I’m the fucking Green Lantern of earth.” He pulled his ring off his necklace and shoved it onto his finger, uniform manifesting. “So, piss off!” Guy left the gym.

Scott and Ted just looked at each other.

“And he wonders why we don’t trust him,” Scott said, climbing into the ring.

“Poor Tora...” replied Ted, climbing in after him.

They stood at opposite corners.

“Ok. Three, two, one, go!”

 

* * *

 

Guy found himself making his way onto the roof. Hoping some brisk air would help cool him off since exhausting his temper didn’t work. Unfortunately for him, someone was already on the roof. Guy opened the door to see Beatriz da Costa leaning on the edge, watching the city below her.

“Great. Just great,” Guy mumbled, getting ready to leave. He did not need to get into an argument with Beatriz right now.

“Wait, I need to talk to you,” Beatriz called out.

“Why? Are you going to threaten me, too?” Guy asked, his voice as sour as his expression.

Beatriz gave him a puzzled look. “No... I wanted to apologize actually.” She brought her hand up to her face revealing the cigarette between her fingers, before she took a drag from it.

Guy tried to process these two pieces of information that conflicted with what he knew of Beatriz and decided to pursue the easier one.

“You, smoke?”

Beatriz looked at her hand and gave a small laugh. “Not often. Just to help with nerves every now and then.” She must’ve decided she’d had enough and burned it up with green flame from her hand as Guy walked closer.

This information didn’t make anything clearer for Guy, so he just leaned against the edge a comfortable distance away from Beatriz.

Beatriz continued, “I had a talk with Tora a while ago, after that meeting actually. And I realized that I haven’t been treating either of you fairly.”

“I could’ve told you that,” Guy mumbled.

Beatriz closed her eyes, clenching her fist. “Please. Just let me talk. This isn’t easy.”

“Sorry...”

“As I was saying,” Beatriz glared at him. “Tora is an adult. And she’s capable of making her own decisions, even if I don’t like them, they’re still hers to make. And even if I have— ,” Beatriz paused, trying to bring her thoughts back together. “And even if I don’t like you personally, that doesn’t mean you’re a completely terrible person. And since Tora seems to like you, maybe I should give you a chance to prove that you aren’t. I’m not sorry for bringing your messages to Max’s attention. I don’t tolerate that kind of unsolicited attention, drunken accident or not. I am sorry for turning it into a kind of spectacle, instead of just confronting you with Max present. That was immature and unfair of me.”

Guy blinked, taken aback. “Uh, thanks for apologizing.” Guy frowned and looked at her. “I just don’t understand why you don’t like me so much. Especially since, before the league, at the bar when you thought I was just butch, we got along alright.”

Beatriz sighed, wishing she still had her cigarette. “Honestly, I’m a lot more sober now, and I got to know you more.”

“Gee, thanks,” Guy replied with a bit of bite.

“You just,” Beatriz rubbed the back of her neck. “You just remind me of... someone I have some problems with. It isn’t fair to either of you but it isn’t something I can change easily.”

Guy was silent for a moment, looking down at the street below.

“I can understand that.”

“I can’t promise that I won’t get on your case again, but I’ll try to be mature about it.” Beatriz held out her hand. “Truce? Kind of.”

Guy took it.

“Truce.”

Beatriz headed towards the stairs. She opened the door and stopped, holding it open. “And Guy?”

“Yeah?”

“This isn’t a threat but, Tora does deserve the best. So, make sure to bring yours.”

And with that, Beatriz went back inside, leaving Guy alone with his thoughts.

**Author's Note:**

> I recently drew [a lineup](http://earth437125.tumblr.com/post/171401030230/the-first-half-of-the-justice-league-international) of half the JLI if you want to know what I'm picturing when I'm writing.


End file.
